Preparation and apatite formation on CaO–MgO–P2O5–SiO2 glass film grown by pulsed laser deposition

• Magnesium-doped glass film was successfully grown on Ti6Al4V substrate by pulsed laser deposition (PLD).
• Fine adhesion between the deposited film and the substrate was achieved.
• The prepared magnesium-doped glass film promoted the formation of B-type HCA.
• Magnesium-doped glass film might be promising candidates as implant materials.

Magnesium-containing bioactive glass thin film was successfully grown on Ti6Al4V substrate by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The obtained film was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). It is observed that the as-deposited film was dense and constituted with a large number of micron-sized and submicron-sized droplets. In vitro assays confirmed the apatite formation, and with increased immersion time, the Ca/P ratios of film surface gradually decreased to a stable value close to that of the stoichiometric value of hydroxyapatite (HA).